A construction worker — pinned under a concrete slab weighing tons — was saved in a dramatic three-hour rescue on Wednesday night.

As light faded‚ Ethekwini Metro firefighters and SAPS Search and Rescue technicians navigated the complex task of pulling the man out alive.

The man lay slumped and prostrate over the pillar which pinned his legs inside the trench.

It is understood that a group of workers had excavated a line of copper cable when the side-wall gave way.

So rapid was the collapse that the man’s hands were trapped beneath the earth still clutching his spade.

Rescuers themselves climbed into the unstable hole and used a crane to partially raise the concrete slab.

As the man grimaced in pain‚ firefighters and police officers used spades‚ trowels and their bare hands in an effort to free his feet.

After more than three hours crushed underneath tons of rubble‚ the man was pulled from the trench.

RescueCare spokesperson Garrith Jamieson said: “While the patient was entrapped he was classified as being in a critical condition. To our amazement‚ when he emerged he did not have a single fracture. Only scrapes and bruises. He is a very lucky man.”

He was transported to a local hospital for treatment.

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